Well... this year was very extreme in many ways, but mostly was a solid patter of negativity with a few high points. I would detail everything, but that would be v.long and rambinling.

However (totally stolen from various people) here is also a quick 2009 recap questionare...

What did you do this year that you'd never done before?Hmm... several things really.

met Dan Aykroyd

met the Mythbusters

went to Disneyland

saw Peaches live

had a heavy metal music star hang out at my BBQ

played a live game of Texas Hold'em Poker

built a Proton Pack

nearly got kicked out of the country (yay.. to the nearly)

went to LA.

Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?Sort of. My main one was to lose weight and take better care of myself. This went up and down through the year as various shite happened, and depression is a bitch on your goals. But overall - I'm lighter now than I was, have more muscle, and have fewer shitty t-shirts... so I call that progress.

Did anyone close to you give birth?No, but my sister is preggers again if that counts.

Did anyone close to you die?No, thankfully.

What countries did you visit?Just the US this year.

What would you like to have next year that you lacked this year?I'd like to feel more financially secure, and still be working at the same company. I don't think that is too much to ask frankly.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?Staying vaguely sane and not breaking down more. Frankly, though there have been some very good parts, 2009 has been an emotionally shitty year.

What was your biggest failure?Not filing the correct paperwork for immigration (ok, so I didn't know I had to file it, but that isn't the point). No contest.

Did you suffer illness or injury?Some back issues, and a bunch of stuff related to stress that brought me low, nothing major however - just a lot of small, debilitating, stuff.

What was the best thing you bought?For myself... my new electric guitar. Though I've not done much with it, I do plan to over the next year. For someone else? Probably Mario Kart Wii for Miriam (though obviously I play it too). She loves it so :)

Whose behaviour merited celebration?Miriam - for her marathon.

Where did most of your money go?Bills! Legal, Immigration, medical - they all took a large chunk but mostly just things like rent, food, and such. Plus being laid off twice in the year didn't help with that.

What did you get really, really, really excited about?Very little. However my birthday was really awesome because I saw BB King and went to Disneyland. Certainly was v.excited about that.

What song will always remind you of the year?Not sure about song, but Peaches album I Feel Cream will certainly remind me of this year.

Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?About the same. Would have liked to be happier.

Thinner or fatter?Thinner, about 20lbs thinner.

Richer or poorer?Poorer, but mostly because of the legal stuff happening late Nov/Dec. Would have been around the same otherwise.

What do you wish you'd done more of?Hung out with my friends, made more friends. Created more stuff.

What do you wish you'd done less of?Wasted time.

What was your favourite TV program?Lost, though I just saw Jeykll and that was GREAT.

Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?I don't generally waste my time on hating people, so no.

What was the best book you read?I read so little this year, not something I wish I had done, so that' a tough one. Probably one of the classic Sherlock Holmes stories I read this year.

What was your greatest musical discovery?Miriam got me Joe Bonamassa's album You & Me and it's fantastic, he would certainly count for me. Really fantastic. Also Electric Tickle Machine completely rocked me so much when they played a webcast at my office building that I got their stunning CD. So... them too.

What was your favourite film of this year?Tough one. Can't pick really. One of the following I guess: Avatar, Watchmen, Zombieland, District 9... I actually wouldn't include Star Trek, it was great though. I hated Inglorious Basterds though, easily the worst film of the year. District 9 was probably one of the best, I would tie it with Watchmen though.

What did you do on your birthday?Met Mickey Mouse at Disneyland! haha! Also saw the fireworks there and ate at the Blue Bayou in the PotC ride! A great weekend too.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept this year?Button-up Shirts: Not just for work.

What kept you sane?At times, Miriam, at other times... remembering that nothing is THAT big of a deal.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?hmm. I honestly don't know. Alyssa Milano has been both sexy and an awesomely compassionate person all year on Twitter, so I vote for her.

Who did you miss?Friends from the UK.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned this year.Life will kick you in the nuts... hard... and it really doesn't give a crap about when is good for you. The real test is how you deal with it.